Wind + Water = potential energy source

Wind energy on the ocean surface (ocean wind) is a renewable energy source that has never been used.

Located 80 meters above the ocean surface - it is the typical height of a wind turbine, a height that can provide 1.5 times more energy than when it is only 10 meters high, which is an important height for ships. ' Although Europe is at the forefront of building wind power facilities offshore, the United States is a country with favorable conditions to develop the world's most convenient wind power due to its proximity to the coastal ocean with wind power. strong , "said Charlie Zender, professor of Earth science and co-author of the study. ' The atmosphere here is stable, the water is very cold '.

" At medium altitudes, the environment is very stable. The more I compare with other places, the more I am impressed by the convenience here ," he added.

Ocean wind has many advantages: Clean, renewable and landless. Ocean turbines are located on the coast, where the sea floor is not too deep, which may be closer to the concentration of the population than the power plants, reducing power losses and transmission costs. The surface power grid is highly reliable and safer than the ground electrical network.

Ocean Power (Photo: Physorg.com)

However, offshore turbine towers need to be anchored at the upper platform to make construction cost about 50% more expensive, but in return there is no need to spend ' buying wind ' like buying coal and oil. alcohol or nuclear fuel like other power plants.

The study by Professor Zender and his student, Scott Capps, is the first project to calculate the potential form of energy in oceans at the height of a turbine. The researchers began with the intention of wind turbines at a height of 10 meters, taking into account the factors affecting wind speed such as humidity and temperature of the atmosphere and ocean.

Based on global data recorded twice a day for six consecutive years (2000-2006), they concluded that the global average ocean power is 841 watts per square meter ' scanned ' by the turbine rotor . Only an ocean wind turbine produces an energy of 1 million watts, enough to supply continuous consumption for 1,000 households.

Zender said: " If we apply our research to your specific land conditions, then for the first time you will estimate the potential of global ocean power ."

The National Science Foundation and NASA funded this work and published it in Geophysical Research Letters.